It has been a tough few days for Manchester City, but Manuel Pellegrini says neither he nor his players are dwelling on a Champions League defeat to Barcelona, not with so much still to play for this season. An unprecedented quadruple, for an English side, may look less likely now, but the treble is still very much on. The manager expects his player to rise to the challenge.
“I think it was a special match against a very strong team, I think the result was [decided] absolutely by the decision of the referee to award a penalty, and the foul before that play,” Pellegrini told The National. “It was difficult because I thought we controlled Barca here at home, and we waited till the second half to try to press a little bit more.”
The manager believes his team was denied the opportunity to carry out their game plan.
“It’s very important when you have two games, which will be decided in their own stadium, to try not to concede a goal at home,” Pellegrini said. “That’s what we tried to do. But after the sending off of [Martin] Demichelis, everything changed.”
Still, the man who took Malaga to the quarter-finals last year has not given up hope of a major upset in the second leg.
“I think it’s a difficult result for us, but we’re going to fight and we’re going to try and win at Nou Camp.”
Before that, City will play three vital matches, Stoke City at home in the Premier League on Saturday, the League Cup final against Sunderland and an FA Cup quarter-final against the team that beat them in last year’s final, Wigan.
Pellegrini has faith in his team.
“The players will react in a good way, because we are playing in three other competitions,” he said. “In the Capital One we must play the final next week, in the Premier league we are three points behind the leaders but we have played one game less, so if we win that game against Sunderland at home we will also be top of the table. And in the quarter-final of the FA Cup, we play Wigan at home, as well.”
Pellegrini will be hoping that his team reproduces the form that saw them beat Chelsea 2-0 in the FA Cup fifth round.
“All the games are difficult games and you never know what will happen in football,” he said. “I think we are in a very good position for the moment.”
The final against Sunderland next weekend will give Pellegrini a chance to win his first trophy as manager of Manchester City, but he is wary of looking that far ahead.
“No, we cannot be fully concentrated on the final because we have to play against Stoke City here at home,” he said. “First we must beat Stoke and then we have time from until Sunday to prepare for the final against Sunderland.”
By the time City travel to Barcelona in just over two weeks time, their season could well have received several boosts, especially if their most important player is back in action after his injury lay-off.
“Maybe Sergio Aguero will be fit next week, and could return in the middle of March to play that game” against Barcelona, Pellegrini said, before insisting he will not allow his team to have one eye on that second leg.
“I repeat, we are playing so many matches that we cannot think about Barcelona before we play Wigan that week in the FA Cup quarter-final. After that we’ll prepare for Barcelona.”
The match against Mark Hughes’s Stoke side, and Premier League trophy, remain the priority for Manchester City.
“For me it’s the most important competition because the Premier League reflects all the work you do throughout the season,” the 60-year-old Chilean said. “Maybe in the Champions League or the FA Cup you can have a bad game, or refereeing decision, and you are out. There are so many things happening over two legs, to go out is dependent on a lot of factors.
“I think that the work you put in the whole year is what the Premier League is all about and, for me, it’s the most important competition.”
akhaled@thenational.ae
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